PARK RIDGE—Mayor Keith Misciagna said Park Ridge has begun developing a strategy to combat the latest state-mandated affordable housing numbers, which he claims will lead to overdevelopment in the borough. The mandate, published Oct. 18 by the Department of Community Affairs, sets Park Ridge’s fourth-round affordable housing obligation at 138 units over the next decade.
Misciagna faced questions from former councilman William Fenwick at the Oct. 22 council meeting. Fenwick estimated that with a 20% affordable housing set-aside—meaning one affordable unit per four market-rate units—the borough would need to add 690 housing units to meet the requirement.
“Our number, as high and ridiculous as it is, is very small compared to our neighbors,” Misciagna told Fenwick. He said the borough has engaged its planner and hired Holly Schepisi, an attorney and District 39 state senator, as affordable housing counsel to assist in responding to the mandate.
Of Pascack Valley’s eight towns, Park Ridge has the lowest prospective obligation at 138 affordable units over 2025–2035 but also the highest need for rehabilitating existing low- and moderate-income units, with 137 units in need of repair. The highest obligation is Woodcliff Lake’s 423 units, followed by Montvale at 348.
Fenwick asked how Park Ridge plans to respond to the obligations. While many towns are pursuing vacant land adjustments to reduce their total affordable requirements, Misciagna said he expects Park Ridge’s experts to recommend a strategy soon. Misciagna recalled previous attempts to organize Pascack Valley mayors to fight the mandates, but said no coalition came together.
“We’re not going to back down on any fight [against] overdevelopment,” Misciagna said. However, he expressed doubt that a lawsuit, like the one initiated by a coalition led by Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali, would succeed. The coalition of 24 towns, known as Local Leaders for Responsible Planning, has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new affordable housing law, approved in March 2024. They are also seeking a court order to pause fourth-round deadlines as the case moves forward, with a hearing set for Dec. 3 in Mercer County Superior Court.
Park Ridge has a history of challenging development. Misciagna referenced the borough’s nearly five-year legal battle against a proposed 900-unit development on the former 30-acre Sony property, which ultimately settled with a 448-unit complex that includes 68 affordable units.
Misciagna voiced skepticism about the coalition lawsuit’s effectiveness, adding, “Right now they can’t tell me what their strategy is.” He described Ghassali’s effort as “a mayor in a bordering town came up with an idea to self-promote himself” and then requested $20,000 from other towns to join.
In addition to Park Ridge, other Pascack Valley towns received their mandates: Emerson, 181 units; Hillsdale, 220; River Vale, 195; Township of Washington, 184; and Westwood, 235. Only River Vale and Westwood have present-need rehabilitation obligations of 49 and 19 units, respectively.
In the nonprofit organization Fair Share Housing Center‘s view, “The new law is expected to help address New Jersey’s shortage of over 200,000 affordable homes for extremely low-income residents. It is also expected to help break down barriers to racial and economic integration in one of the most diverse — but also one of the most segregated — states in the country.”
Adam Gordon, executive director of Fair Share Housing Center, said in a press release following the release of the new figures, “This is an opportunity for municipalities to prioritize sensible and equitable growth, redevelopment, and infrastructure investments that will benefit their communities for generations to come. We appreciate that DCA produced these calculations on schedule, which we’ll be closely analyzing in the following days and weeks.”